Under The Skin

Jonathan Glazner's, of Sexy Beast and countless music videos fame, latest film is a sight to behold, a triumph of form and function. Scarlet Johansson plays a strange woman who roams the roads and highlands of Scotland, seducing young men into her van and driving them to her lair for a sinister yet never disclosed purpose. That is probably the best way to explain what goes on in this movie, but that is not what this film is about. Rather instead of sultry seduction and Johansson’s curves, the film is about humanity in all its forms. The film does not disclose this easily, it is not to be taken for granted, it demands your full attention, since it refuses to lay out any of its plot through exposition.

Where oh where does one begin to lavish praise upon the film, you could start just about anywhere really, but I will start with the look of the film. It is a gorgeous blend surrealist imagery with haute couture. The film has some superb superimposition shots and photography to go with its art direction. Just about every scene pops out at you in one way or another and they all serve to do more than just look cool or pretty, they bring forth emotions of all sorts, feelings of warmth, loneliness or the first love. One shot has Scarlet Jo sound asleep, superimposed upon a gentle forest wrapping itself around her. The feeling of warmth, safety and comfort that washes over you is worth two hours of your time right there. There is another scene, where she is at the beach watching tragedy unfold. As a viewer it leaves you feeling cold and conflicted. The hyper in focus waves crashing down upon the pastel colored beach echo the sentiment of the event. Everything is so calm and yet this violent event is taking place all at the same time. Finally, there are the abduction scenes, their eerie nature is only heightened by the sleek blackness that surrounds their demise. Glazer uses this imagery to convey all the basest emotions about humanity, from lustful depravity to redemptive love. This film tells you it’s story through these visuals, the position of the cameras, the use of light, colour and movement all create a much more nuanced and revelatory experience than words ever could.

Mica Levi, a young musical artist, has crafted one of the most memorable scores in a long while and one of the best of the year. As a point of comparison I would point you to Trent Reznor and Atticuss Ross' score for The Social Network, but with a kind of natural refinement. Levi achieves what they achieved, a sound that perfectly adds to the tone and feel of each scene. This is most evident in the abduction, 'ensaring?' scenes. As the men are seduced and walk, literally dick first, to their own demise, the score ramps up with this, not grating but rather unsettling chord all the while making it sufficiently pleasant that you always remain attentive to the whole scene even as the visuals lure you into a daze. Furthermore, anytime that this unsettling chord comes on, you snap to attention, drawn and slightly afraid of what is to come. Within each abduction scene, this theme changes ever so subtly. You feel that something queer has happened, but never does it feel obscene or intrusive. The rest of the score use this same kind of lovely jarring approach. It creeps all around you, never letting you settle in and become lackadaisical, but never distracting of the tale or image.

This combination of sight and sound is perfectly blended in this tight script by Jonathan Glazner (also director) and Walter Campbell. It is light on dialogue and heavy on imagery. The script is a give and take affair, it is a rich and wonderful tale but in order to appreciate it, the viewer must be patient and very attentive. There are no one liners, or cool dialogue, the dialogue feels like more of a commercial break, a pause to the flurry of story given to you through breathtaking imagery and hypnotic sounds. As I said earlier, the film demands your respect. It will not guide you by the hand with characters spouting out expository lines for the sake of some nitwit.

Finally, there's Scarlett, the center of the film, holding everything in place. Her other two films this year have failed to make use of her excellent talents, but here Glazner makes use of them to their fullest. Who knew that she could pull off a Scottish accent? Sure it's not perfect, but the minimalist dialogue allows it to seem natural without stretching credibility. She may not say much, but her wordfs are carried with confidence and skill. More importantly is the grace of her movements and expressiveness of her face. Over the course of the film she is a wonder behold. Her role ranges from emotionless seductress, to loving angel of hope, to a terrified creature just hoping to understand the world around her. She does all this effortlessly, transitioning without missing a beat. Her character radiates exotic charm even as her face remains blank. This natural evolution of her is marvelous and has been rightfully acclaimed.

The film is a wonder to behold, everything just melts together so perfectly that there really is no flaw to be found. It achieves every goal, that being said, this film will not satisfy everyone. It is contrarian to most western expectations of a great film, due to the high demand it places on its viewers. Those looking for simple pleasures or an easy to digest film should look elsewhere. Comparable viewing might be, ‘Enter the Void’ or ‘Valhalla Rising’. If that is your thing, you will adore this picture.